Monkeys, Skeeto's and Volcanic Ash

Rachel "dancing" on the table

Ben riding Jimmy

Just about the best picture ever

Daniel getting ready to hold the chamelion

Rachie and her daddy

The title is obscure, I will give you that - but it's been literally AGES since I've been able to blog and as it is it's 11pm here and I know that Rachel will wake up in a few hours. We've been and come back from SA and what an exciting trip. The main focus this time was on family and for Robin work to and that made it really difficult to catch up with old friends I am ashamed to say. The kids had a fantastic time though, and as usual I learned a lot - this time about letting go. There is a big difference between raising kids in Ireland and kids in South Africa... Seeing children play, having fun and experiencing freedom from parents hovering around came as a shock - I thought Europe had one up on Africa but in that respect I was wrong. We are to overprotective of our kids here - making sure they don't fall, or run in the road, watching out for some other disaster to happen - helicopter parenting ... we forget that kids need to live a little!

Okay, I'm going to stop lecturing - and explain the heading, then let the pictures do the talking... Daniel thought it would be fun to chase a troop of monkeys (cute little things really) all was fine until the monkey's stood their ground and mock-charged our little gut - let me tell you that by all accounts he turned tail and ran so fast that he covered 70 mtrs in about 2 seconds! And the wonderful caring parents we are fell about the place laughing at the fright he got.

Skeeto's - (n) aka Mosquitoes. as in "The skeeto's thought I was breakfast but I amn't". Again - Daniel attracting the wild life in africa got completely covered in mosquitoe bites, while the rest of us got off with hardly any

And then the dramatic turn that our holiday took - 6 extra days due to the Icelandic Volcanoe... Thanks Chaps!